March 18, 2009

I went to pick up some furniture last week that I ordered from a local furniture store. I was instructed on where to pick up my items by my sales representative a couple days prior. I got to the location and there was a loading area, and someone from the company loading items into another person's vehicle. He did not acknowledge me, so I went inside the door of the loading area and read the sign with instructions (if you can call them that). No one was at the desk inside the door, so I waited. I was on my lunch break, so I was feeling anxious and hurried to get my items and get back to work. Finally, the loading person that had already passed me 4 or 5 times glanced at my receipt without a word and disappeared into the storage room. It was then that I realized that I was finally being "assisted".

Good manners are very important in an industry where you are servicing customers. Sometimes, employees need a reminder of what constitutes good manners and customer service. This blog article reminded me of the basics of good etiquette as it relates to business. Here are some things that you should be monitoring.

Are your employees dressed appropriately for their position?

Do they communicate without shouting, swearing or using slang?

Are your customers greeted graciously either in person or over the phone? Customers should always be greeted with a smile, even if they are on the phone.

Are your employees able to handle issues and come up with a resolution? This means listening to the issue, paraphrasing the situation back to the customer, identifying the resolution and communicating that back to the customer?

Are your customers thanked for their business? Customers should be thanked in person, or in a handwritten note where appropriate.

Making the effort to provide excellent customer service can be the difference between the customer coming back to you for business, or going to your competitor.

If the loading person had said to me when I got there, "I'll be right with you", I would have felt less anxious while waiting and that my business was of importance to them.

March 02, 2009

New vehicle sales fell last month (37%-ouch!), but Hyundai's marketshare has doubled. How have they been able to generate sales when prospective car buyers are reluctant to make any moves right now?

There have been several attempts to get buyers into dealerships recently (GM's and Toyota's zero percent
financing and GM's offer to lock in gas prices at $1.99). But, they haven't been working. People are afraid to make a large purchase such as a new vehicle.

Yet Hyundai has created a novel deal that is a direct psychological play. Here's what their deal is: if you buy a
Hyundai and lose your job, you can return the car. Simple and direct. Since our economy is so uncertain right now, their idea taps into a prominent psychological component. By removing that fear from the equation, customers are drawn in. (and, obviously, buying)

What can you do in your business to create an offer that helps remove fear? Just a little something to think about.

February 17, 2009

Here is just a sampling of what various businesses are doing to help themselves right now.

1. The Artist--Damien Hirst (he created a diamond encrusted skull that gained reams of publicity and sold for $150 million) is making pieces for $5.00 and selling them at two stores that he opened. In case you are wondering, the $5.00 object is a keychain. You can also get a poster of the $150 million dollar skull for only thirty bucks.

2. The Tech Firm--Intel

How does a company go from the smart branding of "Intel Inside" to laying off thousands (announced a few weeks ago) to staking their future on massive R&D spending? By making a smart move that plays into its company story by banking on innovation to propel its fortunes.

They will be investing $7 billion in new manufacturing facilities to support their next-generation chips--code name Westmere. This will allow them to bring technology to market even sooner.

3. The College--The Sheffield College (in the UK)

This school has developed an "action plan" to help support those who have been laid off. It includes special 10 week trainings, a part-time training program that guarantees a job to all who complete the courses and the creation of a one stop advice shop. Sheffield is a vocational school--the largest in its city.

What can be gleaned from these examples?

1. The artist--seek to understand trends and price points.

2. The tech company--committing to a strong vision of your company's future pays big dividends. And investing in your company is a good idea too--especially if your competition is cutting back.

February 11, 2009

With the economy seemingly becoming worse by the day, I think the question on many people's minds is how to save money and reduce their expenses wherever possible. I have recently read articles on '25 ways to use fabric softener sheets' and 'How to save $20,000 in one year' and have found that any tidbit of information I can find on reducing my expenses is intriguing.

If you run a body shop, I'm sure there are many helpful tips that you can pass along to your customers. If your customers see that you are trying to help them in these poor economic times, they will remember that when they need body work done on their car - or pass along your name to family and friends, which is even better. As a consumer, I think tips on how to save money on maintaining my car would be especially useful. It is important to point out that performing routine maintenance will save them thousands of dollars in the long run.

Here are some tips that you can pass along to your customers:

Check tires for uneven wear, your car may need an alignment.

Rust spots are not only ugly, they can cause interior damage to your car. Get them treated as soon as possible.

Examine the radiator fluid for signs of rust. A system flush may alleviate the problem.

Check your fluids to make sure you have the right amounts. Too little or too much fluid can cause major damage.

Stick to the service and maintenance schedule provided by the manufacturer to avoid costly engine and transmission repairs.

Make sure your tires are properly inflated to get the best gas mileage from your vehicle.

Giving out valuable information will cost you little to nothing, but in the long run, it should help your business grow.

December 16, 2008

In honor of the holidays, I thought I would share my recent adventure trying to buy a jumper seat as a gift for my infant daughter.

Since I'm a cyber-addict, I did my research, found the perfect model, and decided to purchase it via Wal-mart's online site at a price of $64 dollars.

Then, I decided to just go to the store instead to pick it up (to save on shipping). At the store the price was $80! I asked a clerk about the discrepancy, and he said that the prices were usually different. However, I could order it online and have it shipped to the store for the $64. Help me understand: I have the product in hand, but it is cheaper for Wal-mart to ship me different one (what about gas, guys?) than just give me the same price as online and send me out the door?

So, muttering to myself, I went home and went online to place my order. The online price one day later was $76 dollars. Now I was really mad for obvious reasons. Needless to say, Wal-mart didn't get my business and I found a used one on Craigslist for half the price. But this got me thinking about how the web impacts customer expectations.

Bridge Your Gap

In today's market, consumers are having their expectation of bricks and mortar retail shaped by online interactions. People are becoming used to:

Speed

Convenience

Control

The ways that they shop online impact their offline expectations. Barnes & Noble is one example where you can walk into a physical store and use a kiosk to search inventory, locate items, and order anything that is out-of-stock. You don't need to hunt the stacks unless you want to do so. The online and in store experiences and prices are linked together.

It is imperative that your online and offline experiences and policies line up--otherwise you have a confused customer, a lost sale, and an unflattering blog post to deal with.

December 08, 2008

Remember junior high? Having your friends talk you up to the cute kid you liked who sat between them in social studies? Or the jock who showed off a little bit when he knew the right person was watching? The note passing? The whispering? So many things that would happen before you and your "beloved" even talked to each other?

Marketing done right is just like having your best friend listing all your good qualities to a prospective beau--setting the stage for you to shine. (By the time you reach college it's called having a wingman, but that's a topic for another post)

I Have a Crush on You

First of all, you have to make sure your prospects know you exist. If you have completed research and built your target audience profiles then you know who you find attractive. Now all you have to do if figure out how to make yourself attractive to them, right?

This is where you begin building trust and goodwill even before you meet. Consistent marketing is beneficial to both you and your prospects. Here's why:

It educates potential customers about your company

It shares your success stories so prospects can learn how you have helped firms like theirs

It keeps you top of mind, so when the time is right the chances of a call or email are high

It builds affinity due to the education from marketing efforts (IE. white papers, newsletters, webinars, seminars).

Building a preference for your company and the accompanying goodwill is invaluable because it translates to trust on the part of the prospect. And the higher the trust level, the smoother the sales process.

It's hard to say which is the more efficient process, passing mash notes or sending out white papers, but the end result is the same--gaining consideration from the one you really want to notice you.